Abstract
Approximately 1.251.225 foreign-born migrants reside in Chile, including 183.315 children. This study compares mental health indicators in immigrant and non-immigrant children to understand the mental health effects of migration. A cross-sectional study of 634 students from Chilean schools was conducted. Fifty percent of the students were immigrants. The System for the Evaluation of Children and Adolescents was used to evaluate mental health. No significant differences were observed in mental health indicators between immigrant and non-immigrant children. At both elementary and secondary levels, immigrant students had higher rates of contextual problems (family problems and problems with peers) and lower scores in integration and social consequence. Immigrant students in elementary schools scored lower in self-esteem. The higher rates of contextual problems in immigrant children should be addressed through structural changes in migration policies, such as providing support for employment of parents, welfare assistance, and access to health systems.
Similar content being viewed by others
Change history
27 February 2021
A Correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-020-01113-3
References
Instituto Nacional de Estadísticas, Departamento de Extranjería y Migración: Estimación de Población Extranjera en Chile, según país de nacionalidad; 2019. https://www.ine.cl/docs/default-source/demogr%c3%a1ficas-y-vitales/estimaciones-personas-extranjeras/minuta-estimacion-poblacion-extranjera-en-chile-resultados-regionales-por-nacionalidad.pdf?sfvrsn=8035fd2_3. Accessed 15 Dec 2019
Instituto Nacional de Estadísticas, Departamento de Extranjería y Migración: Estimación de personas extranjeras residentes en Chile al 31 de diciembre de 2018; 2019. https://www.ine.cl/docs/default-source/demogr%c3%a1ficas-y-vitales/estimaciones-personas-extranjeras/estimacion-poblacion-chilena-en-chile.pdf?sfvrsn=9dde5cd2_5. Accessed 17 Oct 2019
Lube M, Penna C, Vicuña J, Pérez C. Claves conceptuales e históricas para comprender la frontera norte de Chile y la migración en Arica y Parinacota. In: Vicuña J, Rojas T, editors. Migración en Arica y Parinacota: Panoramas y tendencias de una región fronteriza. Santiago, Chile: Ediciones Universidad Alberto Hurtado; 2015. p. 19–36.
Fernández M: Mapa del estudiantado extranjero en el sistema escolar chileno; 2018. https://www.mineduc.cl/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2018/05/MAPA_ESTUDIANTES_EXTRANJEROS_SISTEMA_ESCOLAR_CHILENO_2015_2017.pdf. Accessed 20 Jul 2019
Lawton KE, Gerdes AC. Acculturation and Latino adolescent mental health: Integration of individual, environmental, and family influences. Clin Child Fam Psychol Rev. 2014;17:385–98. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10567-014-0168-0.
Berry JW, Kim U, Power S, Young M, Bujaki M. Acculturation attitudes in plural societies. Appl Psychol. 1989;38:185–206. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1464-0597.1989.tb01208.x.
Rousseau C, Frounfelker RL. Mental health needs and services for migrants: an overview for primary care providers. J Travel Med. 2019;26(2):150. https://doi.org/10.1093/jtm/tay150.
Urzúa A, Ferrer R, Canales Gaete V, Núñez Aragón D, Ravanal Labraña I, Tabilo Poblete B. The influence of acculturation strategies in quality of life by immigrants in Northern Chile. Qual Life Res. 2016;26(3):717–26. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-016-1470-8.
Castro A. Estrategias de aculturación y adaptación psicológica y sociocultural de estudiantes extranjeros en la Argentina. Interdisciplinaria. 2011;28:115–30.
Davis AN, Carlo G, Schwartz SJ, Unger JB, Zamboanga BL, Lorenzo-Blanco EI, Soto D. The longitudinal associations between discrimination, depressive symptoms, and prosocial behaviors in US Latino/a recent immigrant adolescents. J Youth Adolesc. 2015;45, 457–470. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-015-0394-x
Kim J, Nicodimos S, Kushner SE, Rhew IC, McCauley E, Vander Stoep A. Comparing mental health of US children of immigrants and non-immigrants in 4 racial/ethnic groups. J Sch Health. 2018;88:167–75. https://doi.org/10.1111/josh.12586.
Lopez WD, LeBrón AMW, Graham LF, Grogan-Kaylor A. Discrimination and depressive symptoms among Latina/o adolescents of immigrant parents. Int Q Community Health Educ. 2016;36:131–40. https://doi.org/10.1177/0272684x16628723.
Gupta T, Rogers-Sirin L, Okazaki S, Ryce P, Sirin SR. The role of collective self-esteem on anxious-depressed symptoms for Asian and Latino children of immigrants. Cultur Divers Ethnic Minor Psychol. 2014;20(2):220–30. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0035022.
Abarca G, Carreño M. Inmigración y salud mental infanto-juvenil: análisis de los artículos publicados en revistas nacionales de Psicología durante el periodo 2003–2013. Summa Psicológica UST. 2014;11(2):45–56. https://doi.org/10.18774/summa-vol11.num2-190.
Urzúa A, Cabieses B. Salud y Bienestar en población migrante en Chile: el aporte de los proyectos FONDECYT a la evidencia internacional. Cuad Méd Soc. 2018;58(4):7–17.
Urzúa A, Heredia O, Caqueo-Urízar A. Salud mental y estrés por aculturación en inmigrantes sudamericanos en el norte de Chile. Rev Méd Chile. 2016;144(5):563–70.
Urzúa A, Boudon S, Caqueo-Urízar A. Salud Mental y Estrategias de Aculturación en inmigrantes colombianos y peruanos en el Norte de Chile. Acta Colomb Psicol. 2017;20(1):70–9. https://doi.org/10.14718/ACP.2017.20.1.5.
Cabieses B, Chepo M, Oyarte M, Markkula N, Bustos P, Pedrero V, Delgado I. Brechas de desigualdad en salud en niños migrantes versus locales en Chile. Rev Chil Pediatr. 2017;88(6):707–16. https://doi.org/10.4067/s0370-41062017000600707.
Rojas G, Fritsch R, Castro A, Guajardo V, Torres P, Díaz B. Trastornos mentales comunes y uso de servicios de salud en población inmigrante. Rev Méd Chile. 2011;139:1298–304.
Hernández R, Fernández C, Baptista P. Metodología de la Investigación. México: McGraw- Hill; 2010.
Fernández-Pinto I, Santamaría P, Sánchez-Sánchez F, Carrasco MA, del Barrio V. SENA, Sistema de Evaluación de Niños y Adolescentes. Manual de aplicación, corrección e interpretación. Madrid: TEA; 2015
Sánchez-Sánchez F, Fernández-Pinto I, Santamaría P, Carrasco M, del Barrio V. SENA, Sistema de Evaluación de Niños y Adolescentes: proceso de desarrollo y evidencias de fiabilidad y validez. Rev Psicol Clín Niños Adolesc. 2016;3(2):23–34.
Siegel S, Castellan J. Estadística no paramétrica aplicada a las ciencias de la conducta. Mexico: McGraw-Hill; 2005.
Forero CG, Maydeu-Olivares A, Gallardo-Pujol D. Factor analysis with ordinal indicators: a monte Carlo study comparing DWLS and ULS. Struct Equ Model. 2009;16:625–41. https://doi.org/10.1080/10705510903203573.
Céspedes YM, Huey SJ. Depression in Latino adolescents: a cultural discrepancy perspective. Cultur Divers Ethnic Minor Psychol. 2008;14:168–72. https://doi.org/10.1037/1099-9809.14.2.168.
Caqueo-Urízar A, Flores J, Irarrázaval M, Loo N, Páez J, Sepúlveda G. Discriminación percibida en escolares migrantes en el Norte de Chile. Ter Psicol. 2019;37(2):97–103.
Pavez I. Los significados de “ser niña y niño migrante”: conceptualizaciones desde la infancia peruana en Chile. Polis Rev Latinoamericana. 2013;12(35):183–201.
Leiva I. Acercamiento antropológico del concepto de salud mental en los Aymara del sector Isluga. Rev Cult Relig. 2008;2(3):2.
Valdivia M. Cosmovisión Aymara y su aplicación práctica en un contexto sanitario del Norte de Chile. Rev Bioét Derecho. 2006;7:1–5.
Masaud T, McNicholas F, Skokauskas N. Overcoming the challenges of managing mental health in migrant children. Pediatr Health. 2010;4:603–11. https://doi.org/10.2217/phe.10.69.
Pottie K, Greenaway C, Feightner J, Welch V, Swinkels H, Rashid M. Evidence-based clinical guidelines for immigrants and refugees. CMAJ. 2010;183(12):E824–E925. https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.090313.
Acknowledgements
This research was funded by ANID PIA CIE160007.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Informed consent
Written informed consent was obtained from the parents.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Caqueo-Urízar, A., Atencio, D., Flores, J. et al. Mental Health in Immigrant Children and Adolescents in Northern Chile Mental Health in Immigrant Children and Adolescents. J Immigrant Minority Health 23, 280–288 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-020-01101-7
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-020-01101-7